The present invention relates to hose-reel assemblies and, in particular, it concerns hose-reel assemblies which include a reel with foldable flange portions to allow compact shipping and storage.
It is known to provide various hose-reel assemblies for storing a length of hose such as a domestic garden hose. Hose-reel assemblies exist in many forms including, but not limited to, free-standing hose-reel assemblies, wall-mounted hose-reel assemblies, hose caddies or carts with wheels, and motorized hose-reel assemblies of any of the aforementioned types where a motor powers rotation of the reel to rewind the hose after use.
In most cases, hose-reel assemblies are relatively bulky and cannot be efficiently stacked when assembled. The option of shipping products in a more compact unassembled state, on the other hand, is unpopular with consumers due to the perceived complexity of the assembly process. For this reason, hose-reel assemblies are primarily shipped and sold in their assembled state, resulting in problematic wastage of expensive transportation space and even more expensive retail store space.
In an attempt to address this problem, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,425,391; 5,657,789; 5,704,384; and 5,901,730 to Suncast Inc. propose stackable hose-reel assemblies in which the reel has a narrow partial flange of roughly rectangular shape. The reduced dimension of the flange allows stacking of the hose-reel assemblies, thereby facilitating efficient shipping and storage of the hose-reel assemblies in their assembled state.
Although the Suncast designs allow pre-assembled shipping, thereby avoiding the problem of end-user assembly, the narrow rectangular flange configuration generates new problems as illustrated schematically in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Specifically, it will be noted that a rounded flange as conventionally used in almost all hose-reel assemblies tends to guide the hose to remain within the region of the reel as shown in FIG. 1A. In contrast, the almost-radial edges of the rectangular flange of the Suncast design tend to catch on the hose during rewinding if the hose is not aligned perpendicular to the reel axis. This will tend to “derail” the hose from the reel as shown in FIG. 1B, thereby interfering with the rewinding process.
An additional shortcoming of the rectangular flange shape is a large proportion of the wound hose is not fully supported, tending to allow the hose to sag outwards and possible interfere with winding. The rectangular flange structure is also particularly problematic for implementing a motor-driven hose-reel where the cross-over between edges of the rectangular flange and edges of the frame (not shown) creates a scissor-like action, posing a significant safety risk to the user.
There is therefore a need for a stackable hose-reel assembly which would allow efficient stacking of pre-assembled units while maintaining a generally rounded flange configuration.